YouTube, Netflix, Meta and Spotify have announced that they will no longer support Apple Vision Pro.
Apple’s Vision Pro AR/VR device is likely to have limited appeal at launch, as it will not be supported by some popular content platforms. The Vision Pro has a starting price of $3,500, which may hinder mass adoption of Apple’s first new product in a decade. However, more reasons are starting to emerge before product reviews have even begun.
YouTube, Netflix, Meta and Spotify have announced that they will no longer support Vision Pro. Vision Pro owners will be forced to use YouTube videos, Netflix originals or Spotify playlists in the Safari browser. This can be quite inconvenient in an already challenging interface experience.
While Apple has been trying to break free from Google’s popular apps for years, Google has been paying Apple billions of dollars to be the default search option on iOS devices. Given Steve Jobs’ willingness to wage “thermo nuclear war” on Google because he believed Android software was stealing iOS concepts, it’s understandable that Google would want to slow the success of Vision Pro and its new visionOS among mass users.
Netflix, Spotify and other content giants may have had their own struggles with Apple’s “tax” on subscriptions through iOS and may not want to repeat the experience in Vision Pro’s new virtual reality. While Apple has settled its commission dispute with Epic Games, it still charges a 27% commission for its direct payment link alternative.
After successful pre-orders of the Vision Pro, demand seems to have dropped off, not unlike iPhone launches. Google and other content giants may be waiting to see if the Vision Pro will stick in people’s minds enough to make it worth devoting dedicated resources to software development and support.
That said, it is thought that Apple could sell half a million AR/VR headsets this year, but there is concern that it will only attract early adopters and demand will fall.
